The #1 movie in the world depends on the metric, but by highest box office gross, Avatar (2009) is the top film, with Avatar: Fire and Ash currently leading weekly charts as of early 2026. For critical acclaim, films like The Godfather or Seven Samurai often rank highest, while streaming giants like Netflix track viewership differently.
Seven films in total have grossed in excess of $2 billion worldwide, with Avatar ranked in the top position.
The #1 movie in the world, based on the highest worldwide box office gross, is James Cameron's Avatar (2009), followed by Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). These rankings focus on total money earned, with Avatar exceeding $2.9 billion globally.
The #1 most watched movie depends on the metric: by box office revenue, it's James Cameron's Avatar (2009); by user ratings/popularity on platforms like IMDb, titles like The Shawshank Redemption or Titanic often rank high; and for streaming, K-Pop Demon Hunters recently topped Netflix. Generally, Titanic and Avatar are cited as the biggest overall cinematic phenomena.
There's no single "number one movie" as it depends on the criteria, but James Cameron's Avatar (2009) is the highest-grossing film worldwide unadjusted for inflation. When adjusting for inflation, Gone with the Wind (1939) is often cited as number one, while The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is consistently rated the top movie by users on IMDb based on critical acclaim and audience votes.
There's no single "top 3," as it's subjective, but critics and audiences consistently rank The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, and Citizen Kane (or The Dark Knight / Seven Samurai) among the greatest, often appearing at the top of lists from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. These lists vary by source, focusing on acclaim, popularity, or box office, but these classics appear repeatedly.
The movie that took 48 years to make is The Other Side of the Wind, Orson Welles' final, unfinished film that began shooting in the 1970s and was finally completed and released by Netflix in 2018, long after Welles' death. The project was famously trapped in legal issues and distribution nightmares, with production spanning years and the editing process continuing posthumously until its eventual release, making it one of the longest-produced films ever.
As of November 2025, "Avatar" (2009) was the most commercially successful movie of all time, grossing about 2.92 billion U.S. dollars at box offices across the globe. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) and "Avatar: The Way of Water " (2022) followed, with revenues of around 2.8 billion and 2.34 billion dollars, respectively.
fame is defined by the % of people who have heard of a all-time actor/actress. Find out more
Movies with the most Oscar wins
To date, Leave No Trace holds the site's record, with a rating of 100% and 248 positive reviews.
As of late 2025, the number 1 most-watched Netflix movie of all time by views is KPop Demon Hunters, followed by Red Notice, then Carry-On, according to Netflix's official data, with these figures updated regularly on their Tudum site.
The first actor to earn a guaranteed $1 million for a single film was Elizabeth Taylor for Cleopatra (1963), though she earned much more with profit-sharing; however, Mary Pickford signed the first million-dollar contract in 1916 (over several films), and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was the first with a $1 million annual guarantee in 1919. Marlon Brando also broke the $1 million barrier for a single movie with Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) before Taylor.
Roundhay Garden Scene (french: Une scène au jardin de Roundhay) is a short silent motion picture filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds, in Yorkshire, England on 14 October 1888. It is believed to be the oldest surviving film.
The #1 movie in the world, based on the highest worldwide box office gross, is James Cameron's Avatar (2009), followed by Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). These rankings focus on total money earned, with Avatar exceeding $2.9 billion globally.
The #1 richest actor is often cited as Arnold Schwarzenegger, with an estimated net worth around $1.49 billion, followed closely by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, while some lists place Tyler Perry at the top due to his studio ownership, but Schwarzenegger consistently leads actor-focused lists with vast wealth from acting, business, and politics.
Mithun Chakraborty holds the dubious honour of giving the highest number of flop films among lead actors in Bollywood. The actor has 180 flop films in a career that has spanned over 40 years.
Dwayne Johnson's contract clause stating he can't lose a fight has been adopted by his Fast & Furious co-stars, making fight scene choreography difficult.
The latest: Following in the footsteps of Ne Zha 2, Lilo & Stitch, and Zootopia 2, Disney's Avatar: Fire and Ash reaches the $1 billion milestone in less than three weeks.
There's no single definitive "Top 5," as it varies by critic and audience, but consistently top-ranked films across lists (like IMDb's user ratings and Rotten Tomatoes' critical scores, AFI rankings, etc.) often include The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Knight, 12 Angry Men, and classics like Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or Seven Samurai, reflecting a mix of critical acclaim and popular appeal.
18+ movies to watch
100 Years is an experimental science fiction film written by John Malkovich and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Advertised in 2015 with the tagline "The Movie You Will Never See", it is due to be released on November 18, 2115. Can't wait to watch it!!
The "saddest" movie based on a true story is subjective, but top contenders often include Schindler's List, due to its harrowing Holocaust depiction; 12 Years a Slave, for its brutal portrayal of American slavery; Grave of the Fireflies (animated, deeply tragic WWII story); and The Pianist, showing survival in the Warsaw Ghetto, with Worth, focusing on the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, also cited for emotional impact.
Logistics, or Logistics Art Project, is a 2012 Swedish experimental film conceived and created by Erika Magnusson and Daniel Andersson. At 51,420 minutes (857 hours or 35 days and 17 hours), it is the longest film ever made.